


Amore Mio

by ragnorfellintomyheart



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec and Lydia are bff's, Lightwood parents are assholes, M/M, Malec are on different teams, Meliorn's an asshole, ballet!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 06:39:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12906279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragnorfellintomyheart/pseuds/ragnorfellintomyheart
Summary: The Nephilim Dance Academy and Downworld Dance Studio's have had an ongoing fued for as long as anyone can remember. No one knows why, only that it's carried on for decades.When Alec, the head dancer of the Nephilim, meets Magnus, a new dancer for the Downworld; maybe the two teams can put aside their differences in the name of love?





	Amore Mio

**Author's Note:**

> I really probably shouldn't be starting this because I've already got one fic on the go but here we are anyway :)
> 
> I've had this idea for months and am excited to be finally carrying it through. Enjoy!

There were few things better than being able to listen to your favourite music while watching the world go by outside. Especially during the fall, when the world flew by in a flurry of orange and brown as leaves fell to the ground, the trees becoming empty and hibernating until the next spring. The sun was hanging low in the sky, slightly becoming tinged with red in the late afternoon.

Paired with the sounds of Antonio Vivaldi and his autumn segment of The Four Seasons, Alec was very content with drowning out the hustle of the bus around him. He lost himself in the violin, the soothing and cheerful melody calming the nerves that threatened to arise. Ever since he was a young child Alec had never liked crowded spaces and despite the constant events and parties that his parents threw, the dislike for them had never gone away. Unfortunately it meant that the time spent on the bus as they travelled from their home in New York to Mississippi was almost torture as the seats were crowded with a range of overly excited people from the ages of 8-25. Alec had perched himself near the back, his bag occupying the seat next to him so no one would dare to sit next to him and tried to make himself shrink in as much as his tall frame would allow him. The bus ride was almost over after nearly two days since they had set off from home and as they crossed the state border, Alec sat up a little straighter as he felt relief wash over him.

Every year the most prestigious ballet school in New York, The Nephilim Dance Academy, travelled cross country to compete in the USA International Ballet Competition. This year was the biggest year yet and for some of their team, a chance to get a real shot at making it as a dancer. All eyes were going to be falling on Alec as after the leave of their premier danseur due to an injury, the title had fallen on Alec. Ever since his coach had given him the news, he had been practicing none stop for weeks without taking a day off. This was his chance, his dream and no one was going to break him.

This would be the year that he would get noticed.

The news had also elevated his nerves tenfold. The closer they got to the convention centre, the closer it would be to either the make or break of his career and Alec forced the thoughts of failing down into the back of his mind before the bus seemed all the more claustrophobic.

***

  
The bus parked in the hotel car park as the sky was red, nightfall beginning to take over from the day as the sun graciously swapped places with her sister. As soon as the doors to the bus opened, Alec rushed his way to the front and stepped out, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of relaxation hit. His lungs felt like they were three times the size they had been a second ago as the air reached them and he took three big gulps before opening his eyes and staring at the hotel they parked in, the building almost as familiar as home. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head to find familiar blue eyes staring at him. He removed the bud from one ear, letting the tune, now Tchaikovsky “The Seasons” continue in the other.

Lydia’s hair was pulled into its usual perfect bun and despite being sat on the bus for as long as he had, no loose strands hung in her face. He wondered what products she must use to keep it so intact. Alec had always had trouble taming his hair, even when it was gelled back with products used in competitions, a few pieces always made their way into his eyes. Lydia smiled gently as she rubbed his shoulder “You okay?”

“I’m fine, that bus air really gets to you after a while.”

Lydia chuckled at that, nodding to herself. “You think you’d get used to it by now.” She walked away from Alec and to the side of the bus where Jocelyn, their coach, was shouting out names for people to come and collect their luggage. There were 40 of them in the company, the biggest number of people that the dance academy have seen at the competition so far and you could see the excitement as new and old members alike grabbed their luggage, talking amongst themselves and laughing. Once everyone had gathered their bags, they began to head towards the entrance to the hotel and were told to wait in the lobby. Alec removed both his earbuds, placing them back in his pocket as he walked to the entrance.

Jocelyn immediately walked off with Luke, discussing room schedules with a member of staff from the hotel and the group buzzed amongst themselves, chatting about rehearsal schedules and how they’d spend the evening before the competition tomorrow. Alec hung by Lydia and the pair stood in silence. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along with the other members of the group, but they had both been doing this long enough that the excitement was less of an explosion and more of warming fire, welcoming to the pair but nothing to get worked up over.

The pleasantries were short lived however as they stepped into the lobby, where several other groups were milling around as well as they got their rooms sorted. Alec looked around, spotting another large group of people waiting to be checked in at the desk. The group was all wearing black, contrasting against the Nephilim’s white jackets and Alec heard the audible groan from several members of his own team. He had to force himself to hold back his own protest and he felt a hand on his arm as Lydia held on gently, her face stern as she looked up at his own expression.

A member of the other group turned around at the noise, his mouth instantly curving up into a smirk. The guy had shoulder length black hair with green streaks running through it, the colour of grass and a tattoo of a leaf covered his cheek which was his signature feature besides his piercing eyes. Alec felt anger bubble in his stomach. Meliorn raised an eyebrow at the group before stepping forward, alerting more members of the group who also turned their heads and gave their own small smirks.

“Well, if it isn’t the darling little angels. I was hoping you might have gotten lost.” Meliorn’s voice was full of sarcasm and not much else emotion. The sound made anger bubble in Alec’s stomach.

Alec stepped forward despite the tug on his arm from Lydia.

“Can’t we just be civil, Meliorn? Your crew caused us enough trouble at the last competition.” Alec was trying to keep his voice low. He was the lead now. The role model. It wouldn’t be good if he was to start a fight with another group on the first day.

“Are we still hung up on that, Lightwood? Come on…” Meliorn’s eyebrow raised higher, his smirk growing bigger and he crossed his arms across his chest. “oh, how’s your sister by the way?”

Alec clenched his fist, taking another step forward when Lydia’s hand reattached itself to his arm, holding him back. “Alec.” She hissed, pulling him backwards. Meliorn didn’t retreat, his smirk still plastered over his face as several chuckles echoed from his group. Alec was all but ready to sock him one if Jocelyn hadn’t chosen that exact moment to reappear, an envelope hanging from her fingers. Meliorn stepped back, the smirk disappearing from his face.

The older woman didn’t take any notice of the tension between the two groups and she smiled sweetly at Meliorn. “Well if it isn’t nice to see you here.” Her tone sounded nice enough but no one could deny the underlying darker tone. “Surely you should be getting to your own rooms by now? Dinner’s in two hours.” She turned back to her own team, the smile never leaving her face. “Come on, let’s leave these lot and get your room’s sorted out.”

***

  
Alec dumped his bags down by the door, huffing before he closed it behind him.

“Don’t let him get to you, Alec. You know he lives off of the attention.” Lydia placed her bags down on one of the twin beds in their hotel room. The room was relatively large, furnished in a very modern fashion and with an adjoined bathroom off to the side. The first year of competition they had been placed in separate rooms but after they had been found by Jocelyn talking in the hallway in the middle of the night, they had been given the same room since.

“He didn’t have to bring Izzy into this. That’s taking it too far.”

“I know, Alec. But we need to keep our minds on the competition. On beating them.”

He walked over to the bed, flopping down onto it as he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket.

There was a text from his little sister, wishing that he’d a safe trip and to remember to bring her back something. There was also a text from Jace, a plea for help that Izzy was insisting on cooking dinner for them and that he was missing him already. Alec chuckled at the text, not wanting to reply just yet and he put the phone beside him. He had promised Izzy that he would call as soon as he had gotten to the hotel room but he couldn’t after the encounter with Meliorn. She would pick up on the frustration in his voice and that was a near open wound that was too soon to be brought up again.

“I hear they’ve got some new recruits this year.” Alec turned to lie on his back, gazing over at Lydia who was already unpacking her things into orderly piles. He found himself wondering again how she kept everything so organised.

“So do we.” Her tone was unwavering “And this time, they’ve got a disadvantage. Their two main sleezes have been kicked off because of last year’s drama. Camille was their biggest hit and now she’s gone. They’ve got no chance.”

Lydia sighed, placing one of the piles in her drawers before continuing onto a new one. She turned to look over at Alec, her eyes furrowed in concern. “Promise me you won’t get into an argument again, Alec?”

  
“That was hardly my fault!” Lydia narrowed her eyes and Alec scoffed, turning to look back at the ceiling. “But fine, I promise. As long as they don’t do anything to deserve one.”

Alec heard the mutter of a curse word under his breath and a huge sigh from the other side of the room. “This is serious, Alec. You almost lost your position because of last year too. Jocelyn might not be so forgiving this time around.”

“Damn those Downworlders, that’s all I have to say.”

He rolled back over, facing the wall and he heard Lydia sigh again. “You’re impossible.”

***

  
The rest of their two hour period before dinner consisted of unpacking and resting. After dinner there would be another rehearsal before moving to the convention centre tomorrow and Jocelyn would not go easy on anyone who seemed tired. Lydia managed to get in touch with her parents, letting them know she had gotten there okay and was all checked in. Alec could hear her half of the conversation, her laughter and constant repeating that she was okay and it made him smile. Lydia had been his friend since they were 3 years old at school and her parents had always been the overprotective sort.

“At least tell your parents that I’m okay too!” Alec shouted from the bed. Lydia had moved to the bathroom a few minutes ago and Alec knew that her dad was probably giving her some speech to help her for tomorrow. He heard her laugh however and muffled speaking before her response came.

“They said they’re glad! They wouldn’t want to lose their only son!”

Alec felt his heart swell slightly and he grinned. Lydia’s parents had always said that they were like another set of parents for Alec. It had stopped for a while when Lydia and Alec had dated for a brief while back in their freshman year of high school but when Alec had told her that he was gay, her dad had clapped him on the back and sworn that “If anyone gives you any trouble, I won’t stand for it. No one’s getting away with giving my son grief.”

When Alec’s parents had kicked him out at 17, the Branwell’s took him in and made sure that he didn’t end up on the streets. He owed them everything and they supported him just as much as they did Lydia when it came to his dancing. Alec almost forgot he even had another set of parents.

As if almost by some telepathic communication, the phone on his bedside table began to vibrate and Alec picked it up already registering the unique vibration tone. As soon as he clicked answer, he pressed the speaker button.

“You were supposed to call me, dummy!” Izzy’s voice came out loud on the other end of the phone and he could imagine the scowl on her face already.

“Sorry, Iz. I got in and just didn’t want to talk to anyone. Can you forgive me?” There was a long pause on the end of the phone and he heard a muffled conversation between his sister and someone else, presumably Jace in the background. To confirm his suspicions, Jace’s voice was the one that spoke next.

“Izzy said she’ll think it over. And that you need to buy her an extra special, expensive present to make up for it. Or she’s not talking to you again.” Alec chuckled and heard Izzy shout something in the background as Jace laughed down the phone. It was always tough when Alec had to leave his siblings and they always made sure to cheer him up after a long day. “How’s Mississippi? Any cute guys?” He could hear the mischief in Jace’s voice as he spoke.

Alec rolled his eyes “You ask me that every year and it’s always the same answer. It’s a ballet competition, Jace. Not a speed dating show. Plus the chances are that I already know all the guys competing and they’re all douches.”

“Speaking of…” Jace lowered his voice and Alec prepared himself for the next question. Jace had clearly moved away from Isabelle. “Seen that asshole yet?”

“Yeah.” Alec sighed, not wanting to remind himself of the encounter “In the lobby earlier. He made an extra special point of asking how Izzy was doing. Bastard.”

“Did Lydia make you promise not to fight him again?

“Yeah.” Alec rolled his eyes and Jace huffed.

“Make it look like an accident?”

Alec was about to answer when Lydia stepped back out of the bathroom, her hair for once pulled out of its bun and it curled lightly around her shoulders. She had now applied make up, a natural look that made her beauty really pop out and matched the dark blue dress which stopped at the knee and Alec almost wondered if she was hoping to get someone’s attention. She looked over at the bed where Alec was still laying, listening to Jace ramble on about Izzy’s cooking and frowned. “You’re not ready yet? Alec, we need to be leaving in like 15 minutes!”

Jace went quiet on the end of the phone before he snorted a laugh. “Good luck, Alec. Speak to you later buddy” and then the line went dead. Alec put the phone down and stood up, grabbing the shirt and dress pants from his bag and heading to the bathroom.

“I don’t see what you’re worried about. I can get ready in 5.”

“You’ll look like a scruff, Alec!” He closed the bathroom door, placing the outfit down on the side as he ran his fingers through his hair to make it look at least semi presentable “Whatever! I give up with you men!”

Alec rolled his eyes, splashing his face with some water and drying it before changing into the white button up shirt and dark blue pants that complimented Lydia’s dress. Once changed, he stepped back out into the main room and located his shoes, slipping them onto his feet before glancing up at Lydia who was waiting by the door.

“You’re lucky you’re so attractive. A normal person couldn’t pull that off.”

***

  
The opening dinner was always the most boring part of the weekend but if there was one thing Alec couldn’t deny, it was that the food was always delectable. A three-course meal was laid out for the dancers and the chefs always did a wonderful job catering for the crowd of over 200 people that stayed in the hotel for the competition. It was just a shame that the consumption of alcohol was forbidden because Alec felt he could’ve used a beer. The only person allowed was Luke, who was carefully sipping a glass of wine as he didn’t have to dance at all. He was just there as the groups “dad”. Thankfully, the other dance group weren’t in the same restaurant space as them or Alec would’ve begged Jocelyn to let him down a bottle of vodka. There were just some things you couldn’t do without being intoxicated.

Instead, Alec glanced around the room at the other groups. There was a group from Florida that he recognised from previous years and a group that must’ve entered for the first time this year. One of the members from the Florida group, a guy around the same age as Alec that he was pretty sure was called Cameron met Alec’s eyes and nodded over at him. Alec returned the nod quickly before glancing back at the table. He could feel Lydia’s eyes on him and he refused to meet them, knowing the look she’d be giving him. There was no chance he was getting into that situation again.

“Can I make a toast?” Jocelyn cleared her throat and stood up from the table. Everyone went quiet, the small chit chat ending within a second. Jocelyn was smiling and she had her glass in her hand as she looked around the table. “You all know how much it means for me to be here with you all each year. New members, you’re in for a wonderful treat that I promise you’ll never forget and old members, I hope that this year will be just as good as previous years have been.” Her smile widened and Alec was sure he could see tears in her eyes. “You’ve all worked so hard to get here. Some of you have taken on roles at such short notice and that makes me feel so proud. I’m so proud to be your coach, guys.” She was definitely crying and Alec felt himself trying to hold back tears. “Here’s to us, to competition and most of all, to having the best fun we can have.” Everyone held their glasses out as the group gave a collective cheer. Jocelyn seated herself back down, wiping at her eyes as Luke put his arm around her, pulling her into a hug.

With dinner finished, Jocelyn gave everyone the option of going back to their rooms for the hour before rehearsals started or joining her in the bar for an, again non-alcoholic drink. The group separated, half following after Jocelyn and the other choosing to go and wear off their full stomachs in their rooms. Lydia had decided to go to the bar, already engrossed in a conversation with one of the other girls from their group and Alec was heading back to the room. He needed to call Isabelle again, properly this time and relaxation time before rehearsals were a must.

He had gotten half way down the hallway towards the lobby when he heard someone shout his name from behind. Alec turned to see the guy from the Floridian group, Cameron, running to catch up with him. His face wore a gentle smile and Alec cursed inwardly. He’d made the mistake of having a fling during competition times before and he swore never to make the mistake again.

“Hey.” Cameron was still grinning and his eyes were bright despite the lack of good lighting in the hall. “Are you hanging around for a while? A small group of us were going to go check out the pool in a while if you wanted to come?”

Alec ran a hand through of his hair, a small smile playing on his own lips that he tried to look as sincere as possible. “Sorry, that sounds great but Jocelyn’s got us doing rehearsals in an hour. You know, to make sure we’re all ready for tomorrow.”

The smile didn’t drop from Cameron’s face but Alec noticed the brightness of his eyes die a little. He really wanted to just get back to his room.

“Oh right, I see.” The disappointment was more visible that Cameron probably thought it was. “That’s fine. I just noticed you weren’t really hanging around with anyone and thought it’d be nice to invite you. Um…” Cameron shifted slightly, trying to make himself seem less awkward than he probably was. “I’ll see you around then?”

“Yeah, see you.” Alec nodded and Cameron flashed another smile before turning away and walking down the hall in the other direction. God why did life have to be so cruel.

The lobby was empty save for Alec and another man that was waiting by the desk. There didn’t seem to be a receptionist around the guy seemed to be getting frustrated, his fingers tapping on the surface. A lady appeared around the corner from out the back of the desk, holding a card between her fingers that she extended to the man. Alec noticed the presence of at least 3 rings on his fingers as he took the card from the receptionist. The man turned away from the desk, walking almost directly to where Alec was standing and Alec had to tear his gaze away before it was noticeable that he was staring.

Just as the man walked out of the lobby, the elevator arrived with a ring and Alec stepped in, closing the doors behind him. He took a breath, running a hand through his hair as he pressed the number for his floor and he leaned against the wall. That man was beautiful. Alec was never a believer in love at first sight, in fact he hated whenever Isabelle used to go on about some TV show she had watched and most of the couples seemed to fall head over heels for each other 2 minutes in but Alec couldn’t deny the attraction he felt. He had never been one to have a type, his small list of boyfriends consisting of a range of guys but this was definitely out of his league. Alec hadn’t seen much, the majority of the other male’s body covered by a stylish velvet jacket and pair of tight fitting pants but Alec knew well enough that there had to be muscle under there. He could tell. And the caramel skin that was no where near enough on show despite the low cut shirt that stopped mid-way down his chest. There was no way Alec would even start on his face. That would officially put him in way too deep.  
  
The elevator stopped at his floor and Alec got out, hurriedly making his way to his room. As soon as the door closed, he undid the top buttons of his shirt and took a deep breath. It was a long time since someone had affected him this way and Alec wasn’t even entirely sure why he was. Maybe it was the nerves, sending his emotions in all directions or the lack of relationship which was doing things to him but Alec had promised himself he wouldn’t get distracted. He couldn’t.

***

  
The hour passed quickly and Alec once again found himself unable to call his sister. Instead, he did some gentle stretches and warm ups that could distract him enough from his earlier situation and changed into a pair of comfortable sweats and a tank top for rehearsals. He headed down to the function room where they were holding the rehearsals to find the majority of the group already there and waiting to start. Jocelyn was handing out leaflets with the programme for tomorrow on it as she passed Alec, she stopped and took hold of his hand. “You’re going to be doing an extra rehearsal with me and Lydia tomorrow for the solo, okay? We won’t worry about it tonight.” She smiled, patting his hand before moving onto the next person.

Lydia wandered over, her hair pulled back into its bun and she had changed into her leotard that she must have been wearing underneath that blue dress. “So Cameron was looking for you… I saw him asking Tiff if she knew where you’d gone.”

“I, yeah, he found me. He wanted to know if I wanted to go to the pool with him.” Lydia raised her eyebrow at that and Alec shook his head quickly. “Of course I declined. I’m not doing that again. You know that.”

“Sure, but I also know that secretly you’re a sucker for gorgeous boys who can make you forget the stress of your career.”

“I am not.” Alec scoffed, crossing his arms which only caused Lydia to raise her eyebrows higher.

“Oh please. Tom, Jack, Matt... Cameron, round one.”

“Please be quiet.”

Lydia chuckled at that, shaking her head lightly before she turned her attention to the dancers that were just beginning to start their rehearsals.

***

  
It was almost two hours later that rehearsals began to finish and Alec was exhausted, along with everyone else. He was covered in a layer of sweat and his legs felt sorer than they had in days, a reminder that he really needed to start working harder. Lydia was just finishing off one of her solos and everyone was watching her intently with awe and wide eyes. The dance wasn’t new to Alec, he’d watched Lydia practice it many times before at home or when they had their separate rehearsals together but he never got bored of watching her. Each move was executed perfectly, each position a perfect rendition of what it should be. Her body was like an incoming storm, a wind that was able to manipulate itself into any form but strong enough to cause damage if it wanted. Graceful yet deadly, that’s what Lydia was. The music accompanied along with the dance was a powerful piece that was a perfect match for the dance. A killer duo that you were unable to tear your eyes from.

The music came to an end and the room was filled with silence as Lydia took her final position, her breathing heavy as held the position for several seconds before falling into her usual standing stance. The room erupted into applause, a couple of members hooting in Lydia’s direction and she smiled at the response, bowing quickly before walking back over to the side of the room and talking a large gulp of water. Alec grinned at her from the other side of the room. She had put almost as much effort into her solo as Alec was for his and their duet was still to be seen by the whole group. Jocelyn had made sure that no one would see Alec in his new position fully until the competition, so they had snuck around after group rehearsals to make sure their dances would be perfect and Alec was proud of Lydia and how much she had accomplished. She grinned back at him, taking another gulp of water before sitting down on the chair nearby to her. The applause had died down now and Jocelyn gave them a quick brief of the schedule for tomorrow.

It would be an early start, meeting at 6am for breakfast before heading to the centre for 9 and rehearsals would begin at 10 promptly. There were grumbles from the group, mainly the newer members that weren’t used to the workload that came with competition weekend and Jocelyn only chuckled. “If you complain, I’ll get you up for 5am instead.”

As the group dispersed, Lydia and Alec grabbed their things before making their way back to the room. They were both in a comfortable silence and as they walked through the lobby, Alec subtly glanced around, looking for any sign of the man from earlier. He was disappointed.

“Looking for someone?” Lydia’s voice cut through the silence like a knife and Alec almost jumped. Almost.

“What? No.”

“Sure? I think Cameron’s in the pool, you know.” Her tone was teasing now and she bumped her arm against his. “You’re acting weird. Is it because of him?”

They stepped into the elevator and Alec shook his head, watching the lobby disappear behind metal doors.

“No, it’s nothing. Just nerves. I don’t know how Raj does this.”

Lydia bumped her arm against his again, in a more comforting way this time.

“You’ll be fine, Alec. You’re amazing, everyone knows it. This isn’t last year, you’ll be fine.”

Alec sighed, stepping out into the hall as the doors opened.

“I know, Lyd. But people really kept hold of last year. What if they use it to undermine my performance this year?”

“If they do then they’re stupid. And you know Jocelyn won’t stand for it. If those Downworlders can get away with it, you can. You shouldn’t be held responsible for something when they did ten times worse”

Alec nodded at the words, leaning against the doorframe as Lydia fished out her key.

“It’s going to be a big day tomorrow. One of the biggest we’ve had so far.”

Lydia looked up at Alec, her blue eyes meeting his hazel and she grinned one of her rare, genuine, grins that was reserved for close friends and family only.

“So let’s show them what we’ve got.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> You find me on:   
> Tumblr: @ragnorfellintomyheart  
> Twitter: @ireadwaytoomuch
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
